Ajai Jose & Febin Mathai
POEM is a design collective founded by two architects: Ar. Ajai Jose, from DC College of Architecture, Vagamon, and Ar. Febin Mathai, from College of Architecture, Trivandrum. Together with a team of young designers, they run a multidisciplinary studio that works across architecture, interiors, furniture and product design, photography and film.
Education
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Pnomery Academy of Future Arts (PAFA) – BFA, Graphic Design (2016) Focus: Experimental Typography & Print Production.
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Helvetic Grid Instituut (Naamen) – Visiting Scholar (2015) Focus: Advanced Typography under the mentorship of Swiss design veterans. This semester defined the aspect of my current practice.
Experience
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2021 – Present: Glyph & Chroma – Founder & Principal. Role: Leading strategy and execution for Seed to Series B startups, focusing on Fintech and Cultural Arts sectors.
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2018 – 2021: HAGMANN & CO – Senior Designer Role: Worked under the partner team on large-scale identity overhauls for museum institutions and automotive brands. Learned how to manage stakeholders without compromising the vision.
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2016 – 2018: MASSIVE/DIGITAL – Visual Designer Role: Cut my teeth on high-traffic e-commerce design. This is where my expertise and obsession came in: learning how digital distinctiveness drives conversion.
Recognition
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The Obsidian Pencil (2023) – Typography for "Numeralz Quarterly"
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WebVisions Gold Award (Nov 2024) – Developer Portfolio for "Blue Shift"
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International Type Guild – Certificate of Excellence for "G&C Mono"
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Pixel & Inkish Prize – Rising Star in Interaction Design.
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